WP4: Measuring the impact of territorial innovation

Starting month: month 1
End month: month 36

Objectives

The aim of this WP is to propose a conceptual framework for evaluating the territorially innovation process, as well as the tools needed to capture the capacity and potential for innovation in a specific territory. Defining the metrics for the territorial dyanmics of innovation capacity corresponds to an “iterative process”, which can be analyzed at different levels, including the national (macro), regional (meso), and municipal (micro). Therefore, different research methods will be combined, based on bottom-up and top-down perspectives. In order to provide a better understanding of territorially based innovation and its involvement in time and space, an Observatory for Human Capital will be established to consider the territorial basis for innovation in terms of its impact on the well-being and quality of life of the people who inhabit and interact in the central region of Portugal.

This WP aims to:
● Explore the adequacy of current theoretical approaches for measurement of territorially based innovation vis-à-vis the Portuguese reality;
● Contribute to a better understanding of the relative impact of different dimensions related to economic, technological and social / human development for territorial innovation;
● Develop territorial innovation assessment tools that will enable understanding of the key differences in innovation within a geographical context at NUTS level II and III;
● Contribute to raising awareness and visibility of the distinctive features and results of territorially based innovation;
● Propose a model, and respective measurement instruments for the territorial dynamics of innovation considering the impact on human development, well-being and quality of life.

Workpackages

Description of work

Task 4.1 Propose evaluation tools for Territorial Based Innovation

In order to obtain a more comprehensive view of the innovation performance of a territory, it is necessary to analyze several indicators and databases, which in most cases are not directly comparable. An overview of the state of the art is essential in order to provide a better understanding of the main issues concerning the impact of innovation in a given territorial context.

Thus, the aims of this activity are to provide a better understanding of current theoretical approaches for evaluating territorially based innovation performance in relation to the Portuguese reality, as well as to propose a framework to assess territorial innovation at NUT III level.

This task will be divided into the following sub-tasks: (i) provide a state-of-the art framework regarding the main indicators related to the development of the economic, technological, social and human dimensions; (ii) develop and test scales to measure the specific effects on the territory at a micro-level (including, subjective well-being, work ability index, resilience, openness to experience, etc.); (iii) present a conceptual, methodological and instrumental proposal for assessing territorially based innovation at the NUTS III level, taking into account the different dimensions of territorially based innovation (including economic, social and human).

4.2 Identify territorially based innovation practices and their alignment with the dimensions of evaluation

The main objective of this task is to test the proposed tools for the evaluation of territorial innovation capacity, as proposed in the previous task. Thus, a set of case studies will be selected in order to assess the adequacy of evaluation dimensions and indicators. Since territorial innovation occurs in a wide variety of fields, it is necessary to select several case studies from different fields. The development of this activity will be directly related to WP2 and WP3. This task will encompass: (i) the collection of data from the different dimensions, taking into account the territorial innovation models suggested in WP2; (ii) the implementation of tools to evaluate organizational practices and human capital; (iii) the calculation of the Territorial Innovation Index for several NUTS III regions.

4.3 Implementation of an Observatory for Human Capital and Regional Innovation Performance

The main aim of this task is to implement an Observatory for Human Capital and Regional Innovation, in order to provide a better understanding of the innovation drivers and barriers, and consequently to propose strategies to support better policies. The expected results are: first, to acquire a better and deeper understanding of the fundamental dimensions of the territorial innovation model, considering the Portuguese context and its Central Region; and secondly, to highlight the impact of innovation policies on outcomes and territorial based innovation potential, so that policy makers can enrich their knowledge in this area.